Rotable gland collars for sprinkler systems



y 6, 1965 s. a. WALTON ETAL 3,193,204

ROTABLE GLAND COLLARS FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Original Filed June 1'7, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G Z E:

El 22 23 24 25 K) 26 I5 INVENTORS SYL 14W BROOKS WALTON RALPH B. POP/(INS 44.1 ATTORNEY Jul 1965 s. B. WALTON ETAL 3,193,204 ROTABLE GLAND COLLARS FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Original Filed June 17, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS SVL VAN BROOKS WALTON RALPH B. POP/(INS A T TOP/V5 S United States Patent 3,193,294 RQ'EAELE GLAND (DOLLARS F822 SEREJKLER SYSTEMS Sylvan Brooks Walton, 2195i Saratoga Hills Road, aratoga, (Ialii, and Ralph E. Popitins, 750 Dana Ave, $212 dose, Calif.

Original application June 17, 1%53, Ser. No. 288,346. Divided and this application Dec. 22, 1964, Ser. No. 429,299

Claims. (til. 23-278) This invention relates to rotatable gland collars for pipe lines and is a division of application Serial No. 288,346, filed June 17, 1963.

An object of this invention is to provide a rotatable gland collar or collars to a pipe line such that the pipe may be turned in the collar or collars and at the same time liquid may be fed from the pipe to a substantially vertical sprinkler that is connected to each collar.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gland collar around a fluid supply pipe, the collar being fitted around the pipe to permit turning of the pipe therein and prevent fluid under pressure from escaping between the gland collar and the pipe.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved gland collar around a fluid supply pipe so that the pipe may be rotated in the collar witha minimum of triction therebetween while the fluid in and between the gland collar and pipe is under presst re.

A further object of this invntion is to provide an improvel rotatable gland collar around a fluid supply pipe constructed so as to allow iluid under pressure to enter or leave the space between the pipe and the collar or enter or leave the gland collar through a suitable port in the collar with a minimum amount of fluid leakage etween or around the packing seals of the gland.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved sleeve around a fluid supply pipe which is rotatable therein, said sleeve which has low friction characteristics, functions as a bearing surface for the gland collar to slide or rotate thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved gland collar surrounding the fluid supply pipe with a simple and effective means which will permit fluid under pressure to move from the pipe to the space in the gland collar surrounding the pipe without serious loss of fluid between the pipe and the bearing sleeve or between the gland seals and the bearing sleeve.

till another obiect oi this invention is to provide an improved gland collar with means to maintain minimal fluid leakage andf riction for irregular shapes of pipe positioned within the gland collar and rotated therein.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved gland collar with means whereby the collar may be readily assembled or disassembled whereby it may be easily installed on or taken off of a pipe without the necessity of disassembling other appurtenances or disconnecting the pipe system.

Another object of this invention is to provide a movable field sprinkler apparatus with a gland collar rotatably positioned on the fluid supply pipe and with an apparatus for automatically holding the sprinkler head that is connected to the gland collar in a substantially upright position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a movable sprinkler or sprinkler system that is connected to a rotatable gland collar which is carried by a iluid supply pipe ad which is provided with water-receiving trays or vessels that extend in opposite directions aligned with the direction of movement of the sprinkler, said trays or vessels having an opening in the top or end and being adapted to receive water from the sprinkler so that they act as balancing arms substantially to prevent tilting of the sprinkler head from its vertical or near vertical position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a movable sprinkler or sprinkler system that is connected to a rotatable gland collar which is carried by a fluid supply pipe and which is provided with a water collecting means mounted below the sprinkler which will collect a small portion of the fluid discharged from the sprinkler and direct said fluid to the appropriate one of the two water receiving vessels that extend in opposite directions aligned with the direction of movement of the sprinkler, said trays or vessels being adapted to receive water from the water collecting means so that they act as balancing arms substantially to prevent tilting of the sprinkler head from its vertical or near vertical position.

Other and further objects of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates from the following specification, claims and drawing in which, briefly:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a section of rotatable pipe showing an embodiment of this invention installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view across the fluid supply pipe and adjacent to a gland collar of this invention to which there is attached a sprinkler head and apparatus for maintaining the sprinkler head upright;

PEG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 and this view is employed to illustrate the operation of the apparatus employed for maintaining the sprinkler head upright;

PEG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the gland collar; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference numeral 10 designates a fluid supply pipe that is rigidly attached to and supported substantially horizontally over the held or substantially parallel to the ground being irrigated by means of the wheels 11. A gland collar, or collars, which is provided with two semicircular members 12 and 12a is rotatably supported on the pipe 10 and the sprinkler head 13, which is of conventional construction, and is attached to this collar so that liquid supplied through the pipe lil is fed to this sprinkler head. Some of the liquid from this head i3 is collected in the tray 14 which is positioned directly below the sprinkler head and small pipes 15 and 1'16 are connected to this tray so that the upper ends of these pipes open into the tray and supply liquid therefrom flows to the pans or vessels 1*; and Ell, respectively, which are positioned at the lower ends of these pipes. Pans or vessels l9 and 20 are supported at the opposite ends of the arm 18 and the mid-portion of this arm is connected by the upright member 1'7 to the lower member 12:: of the collar. The pans or vessels 19 and Eli may be attached to the ends of. the arms 18 by welding or the like and the upright member 17 may be attached to the arm 18 and to the lower member 12a of the collar, also by welding or the like.

The pans 19 and 20 are supported substantially in align ment with the direction or" movement of the pipe 10. Thus when the pipe ill is rotated in the direction indicated by the curved arrow positioned therein, shown in FIG. 3, the tendency of the collar is to rotate with the pipe, and the extent of this tendency is determined by the friction in the gland collar mechanism. The pans or vessels l9 and 26 will also be rotated to the same extent; and the lower pan or vessel 1% will empty some of the water therefrom while the upper pan or vessel 26 will collect more water, thus making it heavier. Thus, as the weight of the water in pan or vessel Zll increases, a force is introduced which opposes the friction force and will tend to move the sprinkler and gland collar unit in the direction opposite to the rotation of the pipe, thus maintaining the sprinkler head substantially in its vertical upright position.

Of course, if the direction of rotation of the pipe 10 is opposite to that shown, then the pan or vessel 19 will be elevated so that it assumes a position higher than the pan or vessel 20. As a result, more water would be collected in the pan or vessel 19 than in the pan or vessel 20, and also some of the water would be emptied from pan 20 so that, in this case also, the sprinkler head would be maintained in substantially the upright vertical position because of the different amounts of water accumulated in pans 19 and 20.

The upper half of the collar member 12 is provided with a threaded nut member 29 which is attached thereto and the opening through this threaded member is aligned with a similar opening in the member 12, as shown in .FIG. The tray 14 is positioned over the nut 29 and is provided With a hole which is also aligned with the holes through nut 29 and member 12. These holes are adapted to receive the pipe 27 which is threaded into the nut 29 and which is provided with an additional nut 28 above the tray 14 for tightly gripping this tray and holding it in fixed position on the pipe 27. The pipe 27 extends upward and the sprinkler head 13 is attached to the top end portion thereof.

The semi-circular members 12 and 12a of the collar each have the end portions thereof inturned so as to provide flanges that extend into the grooves 37 and 43 of the seal rings 35 and 41, respectively, illustrated in FIG. 5. Each of these seal rings 35 and 41 is made in two semicircular sections, and the ends of these abut. Thus, the seal ring 35 is made with a bottom section 35a, as shown in FIG. 4, and the ends of these semi-circular sections abut. The same is true of seal ring 41. The seal rings 35 and 41 are also provided with internal grooves for receiving the O-rings 36 and 42 which are pressed into engagement with the sleeve 30 which is of flexible material having a low friction co-efiiicient and is resistant to weather. The sleeve 30 is provided with a hole which is in alignment with the hole 31a that is formed in the pipe 10. The sleeve 30 is held around the pipe by means of a hollow threaded tube 34 which is provided with a shoulder 31 and a nut 33 threaded thereto so that the sleeve 30 is clamped thereby to the pipe 10. The sleeve 34 is positioned in the hole 31a formed in the pipe 10 and provides a port through which liquid is supplied to the cavity in the collar 12 and to sprinkler 13 from the supply pipe. A gasket 32 is positioned around the tube 34 and engages the sleeve 30. The threaded nut 33 is positioned on the threaded tube 34 and functions to clamp the sleeve 30 against the pipe 10 and the gasket 32 against the sleeve. A hole through the tube 34 forms a communicating passageway between the inside of the pipe 10 and the inside of the collar members 12 and 12a during the rotation of the pipe with respect to these collar members so that liquid is fed from the pipe 10 into the collar.

structureand the sleeve 34 during rotation of the pipe 10 and sleeve 30 in the gland collar. In addition to the O-rings 36 and 42, gaskets and 46 of variable friction co-eflicient materials may be interposed between the 0- rings 36 and 42, respectively, and the walls of the seal rings 35 and 41, respectively. The O-rings 36 and 42 and the gaskets 45 and 46 are split or cut so that they may be readily placed around the sleeve 30 and the abutting ends of these O-rings and gaskets are cemented or otherwise held together after they are assemblied on the sleeve 30.

While we have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be seen that it is capable of variation and modification from the form shown so that its scope should be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What we claim is:

1. In a rotatable gland collar for use on a rotatable fluid supply pipe, the combination comprising a rotatable collar having a pair of substantially semicircular parts with the ends thereof held in abutment after said collar is assembled on the fluid supply pipe, said collar having a cavity therein connected with the inside of said pipe through a hole formed in said pipe so that liquid is fed from said pipe to said cavity, means for attaching a sprinkler head to said collar for feeding liquid from said collar to said sprinkler, a sleeve, means for attaching said sleeve to said pipe, said sleeve being positioned between said pipe and said collar, resilient sealing members engaging said sleeve near opposite end portions thereof, means attached to opposite sides of said collar for receiving said resilient sealing members, and means attached to said collar for rotating said collar on said pipe for maintaining said sprinkler head in a substantially vertical position.

2. In a rotatable gland collar for use on a rotatable fluid supply pipe, the combination comprising a rotatable collar having a pair of substantially semicircular parts with the ends thereof held in abutment after said collar is assembled on the fluid supply pipe, said collar having a cavity therein connected with the inside of said pipe through a hole formed in said pipe so that liquid is fed from said pipe to said cavity, means for attaching a Filter seal rings 38 and 40 are positioned on the sleeve 30 and attached thereto. These rings press against the seal rings 35 and 41, respectively, to retard or substantially prevent sand or other gritty materials contained in the fluid from entering the space between the sleeve 30 and the seal rings 35 and 41. These filter seal rings 38 and 40 rotate with the pipe and they are attached to the sleeve 30 by suitable cement. The pressure of the water inside the gland collar 12 and 12a forces the seal rings 35 and 41 against the inwardly extending flanges of the collar members which extend into the grooves 37 and 43 of these respective seal rings, and suitable bands 39 and 44 are provided around these seal rings 35 and 41, re-

spectively. These seal rings are made in two parts, and these parts are of semi-circular configuration so that the ends thereof abut and they may be cemented together. Thereafter the bands 39 and 44 are applied thereto.

The 0 rings 36 and 42 provide sealing surfaces and low friction bearing surfaces between the gland collar sprinkler head to said collar for feeding liquid from said collar to said sprinkler, a sleeve, means for attaching said sleeve to said pipe, said sleeve being positioned between said pipe and said collar, resilient sealing means engaging said sleeve near opposite end portions thereof, means attached to opposite sides of said collar for receiving said resilient sealing members, and fluid holding means attached to said collar, the weight of the fluid in said holding means counteracting the tilting of said sprinkler head for maintaining said. sprinkler head in a substantially vertical position. a

3. In a rotatable gland collar for use on a rotatable fluid supply pipe, the combination comprising a rotatable collar having a pair of substantially semicircular parts with the ends thereof held in abutment after said collar is assembled on the fluid supply pipe, said collar having a cavity therein connected with the inside of said pipe through a hole formed in said pipe so that liquid is fed from said pipe to said cavity, said collar having sealing means on each side of said cavity, means for attaching a sprinkler head to said collar for feeding liquid from said collar to said sprinkler, a sleeve attached to said pipe, said sleeve being positioned between said pipe and said collar to provide an even sealing surface for said sealing means of said collar, and fluid containing counterbalance means attached to said collar for maintaining said sprinkler head in a substantially vertical position.

4. In a rotatable gland collar for use on a rotatable fluid supply pipe, the combination comprising a rotatable collar having a pair of substantially semi-circular parts with the ends thereof held in abutment after said collar is assembled on the fluid supply pipe, said collar having aa cavity therein connected with the inside of said pipe through a hole formed in said pipe so that liquid is fed from said pipe to said cavity, means for attaching a sprinkler head to said collar for feeding liquid from said collar to said sprinkler, a fluid sealing means between said collar and said pipe which permits rotation of said collar on said pipe, and means attached to said collar for rotating said collar on said pipe for maintaining said sprinkler head in a substantially vertical position.

5. In a rotatable gland collar for use on a rotatable fluid supply pipe, the combination comprising a rotatable collar having a pair of substantially semi-circular parts with the ends thereof held in abutment after said collar is assembled on the fluid supply pipe, said collar having a cavity therein connected with the inside of said pipe through a hole formed in said pipe so that liquid is fed from said pipe to said cavity, means for attaching a sprinkler head to said collar for feeding liquid from said collar to said sprinkler, a fluid sealing means between References Cited by the Examiner UNETED STATES PATENTS 1,074,259 9/13 Gordon 285-490 2,270,927 1/42 Browne 285190 3,163,361 12/64 Stout 239212 FOREIGN PATENTS 217,436 5/58 Australia. 1,296,042 5/ 62 France.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN A ROTATABLE GLAND COLLAR FOR USE ON A ROTATABLE FLUID SUPPLY PIPE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A ROTATABLE COLLAR HAVING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR PARTS WITH THE ENDS THEREOF HELD IN ABUTMENT AFTER SAID COLLAR IS ASSEMBLED ON THE FLUID SUPPLY PIPE, SAID COLLAR HAVING A CAVITY THEREIN CONNECTED WITH THE INSIDE OF SAID PIPE THROUGH A HOLE FORMED IN SAID PIPE SO THAT LIQUID IS FED FROM SAID PIPE TO SAID CAVITY, MEANS FOR ATTACHING A SPRINKLER HEAD TO SAID COLLAR FOR FEEDING LIQUID FROM SAID COLLAR TO SAID SPRINKLER, A FLUID SEALING MEANS BETWEEN AND COLLAR AND SAID PIPE WHICH PERMITS ROTATION OF SAID COLLAR ON SAID PIPE, AND MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID COLLAR FOR ROTATING SAID COLLAR ON SAID PIPE FOR MAINTAINING SAID SPRINKLER HEAD IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION. 